


A Warrior's Eyes

by Janie94



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Attraction, Dom/sub Undertones, Forbidden Love, M/M, Mates, Mating Bond, Pack Dynamics, Panther!Robert, Wolf!Thomas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 09:19:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14422332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94
Summary: In order to save the Blood Moon pack, their Alpha Manuel is forced to make an alliance with the large Sky Hunter pack, led by Robert Lewandowski. Thomas is not pleased with the decision but when he accompanies Manuel and meets the other Alpha for the very first time, his whole world is thrown upside down...





	A Warrior's Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blue_Night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Holding On To Hope](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10350660) by [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94). 



> My dearest Blue_Night,  
> I would like to thank you for your continued support and concern, not only regarding my stories but also me as a person.  
> I'm very grateful to have you as a friend in my life.
> 
> I can't explain where the idea for this story has come from or even where it is going, I just woke up one day with this chapter clear in my mind.  
> I intended this to be merely two chapters long because I have so many other stories going (I already have a bad conscience for not updating them for so long) and I would also like to catch up with the works of my other author friends, but this story definitely has the potential to be a bit longer. Just saying.

 

**A Warrior’s Eyes**

 

“Wow, that’s impressive” Joshua whispered in awe as the three shapeshifters stood in front of the large skyscraper of ‘Lewandowski Corp’. Thomas hummed in agreement, feeling more intimidated by their upcoming meeting scheduled within these four walls than by the building itself.

Thomas had been adamantly fighting against the step they were about to take, but he was not the Alpha of this pack – Manuel was. Therefore it was not upon him to decide the future of their pack. Thomas was merely the Beta, a skilled warrior and loyal to his Alpha even when there were times when he disagreed with the latter.

Manuel was standing beside him, appearing calm and confident but Thomas knew his friend far too well to let the façade fool him so easily. The next hour would decide the fate of their pack, they could not afford to mess this up.

With a grim expression Manuel strode forward, his hand seemingly accidentally brushing against Joshua’s as he passed the smaller one. Thomas was one of the very few who knew of the real meaning behind this little gesture, that Manuel and Joshua were secret lovers.

The rest of the pack thought Joshua was coming along today because he was the healer of their pack and therefore the highest-ranking pack member except for the Alpha and Beta but Thomas knew that Joshua was mostly here as moral support for Manuel.

Healers were usually not allowed to get into serious relationships, not even with Alphas because their judgment should not be clouded by the worry for their mate. If they got distracted during the healing process, they could worsen the patient’s condition, perhaps even kill them. Therefore healers were not allowed romantic ties to any other persons. The only two persons they spent a lot of time with were the Alpha and of course their apprentice. And Joshua had only become the pack’s healer two years ago, he was far too young and inexperienced to take on an apprentice himself.

Thomas was not sure how or when this had started, but one day four months ago he had accidentally discovered his two friends in a rather compromising situation and since then he was the only one to share their secret.

Thomas had been appalled at first because a relationship between an Alpha and his healer was against the Shifter’s code but it was hard opposing the relationship when it was so obvious that Manuel and Joshua belonged together. They both appeared stronger together and as long as no harm came from it, Thomas figured he should be happy for them. Besides, maybe it was time for some rules to finally change…

“Thomas, are you dreaming?” Manuel’s impatient voice cut through his thoughts and the younger hurried to catch up. Thomas’s anxiousness returned the moment he set foot into the building and as though sharing the sentiment, Joshua shuffled closer towards him while Manuel took the lead, addressing the woman behind the counter with a polite smile. “We have an appointment with Mr Lewandowski.”

The woman nodded, her expression not giving anyway if she knew about their natures or if she thought this was an ordinary business meeting. Thomas took a deep breath but she smelled of nothing but human and the scent of short encounters with shapeshifters. He wondered if the woman even knew about her boss being a shapeshifter. Most packs preferred not to reveal themselves to humans, not even when these humans were working for them.

His question got answered when she handed the three of them several pages, the first being a confidentiality agreement and the rest consisting of a treaty between Robert Lewandowski, Alpha of the Sky Hunter pack and Manuel Neuer, Alpha of the Blood Moon pack.

Thomas skimmed the paragraphs quickly, finding nothing out of the ordinary or any hidden clauses. Not that he had seriously expected one after the many positive things he had heard about this pack, but one could never be sure.

The woman coughed until she had the attention of the three men again before pointing towards the elevator. “Mr. Lewandowski will see you now.”

In the same moment the doors of the elevator opened to reveal a handsome, dark-haired man striding towards them with confident steps. He was taller than Thomas, barely smaller than Manuel and for a moment Thomas was sure that this must be the Alpha they were here for. Thomas had not cared about the stories he had heard of Mr Lewandowski’s astonishing attractiveness until now but the description would fit: dark, slightly curled hair, a tall, lean body and the handsome features of an ancient Greek god.

However the stranger’s scent – though definitely dominant – was not the scent of an Alpha. “I’m glad that we finally meet,” the stranger said and Thomas felt himself relaxing at the calm sound of the man’s sophisticated voice.

Manuel’s face brightened instantly. “The pleasure is all mine, Mr Hummels.”

Hummels. Thomas remembered that Mats Hummels was the name of the pack’s Beta and that he was usually the one doing meetings and phone calls that concerned pack business.

The Beta’s smile widened. “Please call me Mats. I don’t think such a formal address is appropriate considering we will be blood brothers very soon.”

Manuel nodded, but Thomas could not help reminding Mats. “We have not signed the contract yet.”

Mats shifted his gaze and finally Thomas got a good look at his eyes. It might be naïve but Thomas had always believed that he could trust a person if their eyes were honest. And the warm, brown eyes - a few shades brighter than Mats’s hair - were definitely honest. “I’m convinced you will.”

Thomas shoved away the feeling of familiarity, his animal side telling him that this shifter was trustworthy. It was not helpful right now. “What makes you so sure? Do you think we are out of options?”

It was a question meant to provoke the other Beta and Thomas fiercely ignored the warning glare he received from Manuel. He was the Beta of this pack for good reasons and just like Manuel he had the right to speak his mind here. Mats’s eyes narrowed yet he seemed to recognize Thomas’s motives because he merely replied politely. “It is your choice alone. I was just reminding you that our pack is the best match. Not only because your territory is surrounded by ours and those of our allies but also because we are the strongest pack in a 300 mile radius. And I believe you are smart enough to make the best choice for your pack.”

Thomas didn’t look away, determent to win at least this fight when they were already going to give up their independence and he had to suppress a victorious growl when Mats was the first to break eye contact. Mats might only have done it to keep him happy, but a win was a win.

Mats had turned to Manuel again. “Please follow me. I’m sure you want to be done with this as soon as possible.”

Manuel nodded and he followed Mats to the elevator, Thomas and Joshua following a step behind. The young healer leaned closer to avoid Mats overhearing them. “Mats would make a great Alpha. If he is merely the Beta, then I’m even more curious about their Alpha now.”

Thomas felt the same. He had known that the Sky Hunter pack was strong, this was the reason Manuel had chosen it after all, but on the other hand he was not so sure if this was a good thing for them. Powerful packs oftentimes abused their power and the Blood Moon pack was much too small to take a stand against them if it came down to a fight.

The elevator took them up to the highest floor and as soon as its doors opened, Thomas was met with the strong scent of more shapeshifters. Despite his wariness he could not help a curious glance around, trying to memorize the people he saw.

There was a group of three men sitting comfortably in the chairs of one corner and talking to each other in Spanish, most likely spending their lunch break here. All three of them were definitely radiating submissiveness and kindness which drew Thomas in as he eyed them more closely. The two smaller ones were clad in a tightfitting black suit with a white button-down underneath, tattoos peeking out from their sleeves while the tallest one was wearing a dark-blue suit with a white-button down. The three of them had been too busy to notice the newcomers but once Mats was leading them closer, their excited chatter died down and they looked curious at the three strangers.

Mats was the one to make the introductions. “These are three of our packmates.” He pointed to the tall one who was around his own height. “This is Javi. His parents joined our pack when he was still a child.” Javi smiled at each one of them briefly before dropping his gaze like it was expected from a submissive shifter. Mats turned to the smallest one who was staring at them with less caution, his eyes settling on Manuel with an almost adoring expression. “This is Thiago. He is from Javi’s old pack and they were childhood friends, so when their Alpha announced that he could not protect him any longer he joined us as well.” Thomas felt a wave of sympathy for Thiago. Many small packs that had too many submissive members, eventually had to drive some of them out because the few dominant ones could not protect them any longer. Thomas was glad that their pack had a good balance of dominant and submissive members, making such a drastic measure unnecessary.

“And this is James.” Mats said, his tone betraying his curiosity regarding their reaction. Indeed Thomas waited for an explanation but when none came, he opened his mouth to inhale more sharply. The scent of feline shifter burned strongly on his tongue and Thomas’ wolf side made him shake his head in irritation but still, there was the sweet note that every submissive shifter had. No doubt, he had been right, James was a submissive as Thiago and Javi were. Thomas gave Mats an incredulous look. “But this is not possible. They are two submissives, they can’t be mates.”

Mats narrowed his eyes challengingly. “Why not? Do their natures make their love any less real?”

“Of course not,” Thomas retorted with a hint of impatience. “But that’s not what this is about. They need-“

“But shouldn’t it be?” a new voice responded calmly and Thomas whirled around to find another shifter approaching them, this time a dominant one. He was older than all of them and incredibly good-looking in his dark blue suit. His hair was shimmering bronze and his hazel eyes were warm and kind, soothing Thomas’ instincts that were responding defensively to the presence of another dominant shifter. The man’s expression was friendly when he added. “Shouldn’t a mating bond be all about love?”

“Maybe,” Thomas agreed reluctantly. “But two submissive shifters can’t have children. And how is a pack supposed to survive if there are no children?”

The dominant shifter looked amused by his answer. “Spoken like a true warrior. Your loyalty to the Shifter’s code is honourable but there is more to pack life than having children.” And as if to undermine his words, he walked past Thomas to stand beside Mats, linking their hands as he waited for Thomas to catch on.

Thomas stared at their joined hands with shock. “You two are mates as well?”

Mats smiled proudly. “Yes, this is Xabi, my mate.”

Thomas shared a helpless look with Manuel and Joshua beside him. He could not help but wonder how this was supposed to work. Sure, the Sky Hunter pack was probably large enough to afford a few relationships that would never result in offspring, but were they going down behind closed doors?

Or more importantly how could any dominant shifter feel attraction for another one? Or a submissive one?

Xabi chuckled at his expression. “Don’t think too hard about it. You don’t have to understand it, you merely have to accept it.”

Thomas could only nod, trying really hard to quit his impolite staring but he couldn’t help his curiosity. Mats and Xabi looked happy and confident as did Thiago and James. But… how?

Fortunately Manuel had gotten a grip of himself and intercepted. “Well, it was nice meeting all of you. Should we sign the contract, I hope you will also introduce the rest of the pack to us.”

“Of course,” Mats replied and he let go of his mate to lead them further through the corridor, his feline scent hitting Thomas’ nose while he was passing the latter.

Thomas had expected his wolf side to be much more appalled by the scent, but the wolf  was surprisingly docile, more irritated by having to accept another pack’s help than by the smell of cat he would have to get used to.

Mats lead them to the end of the corridor, stopping in front of a wooden door. He knocked twice and without waiting for a reply, he swung the door open.

Manuel was the first to enter, Joshua staying close behind but Thomas hesitated, his limbs feeling heavy all of a sudden. His wolf had gone completely silent in his head as though something important was about to happen and with mixed feelings Thomas finally managed to cross the threshold.

He was not sure what he had expected, but there was nothing unusual or extraordinary waiting for them, only a large office with floor to ceiling windows, shelves left and right and a desk with two chairs right in front of them. At the other side of the glass behind the desk they could see a rooftop terrace which looked more like an exotic garden: It was covered in soft-looking moss, several thick bushes and crooked trees having been planted there which would seem weird and over the top for a human. But Thomas knew that this must be the Alpha’s hideout when work became too stressful but he could not afford to call it a day yet. Because this environment was perfect for a wild animal to stretch their legs and get some peace of mind.

His attention was drawn to the man standing behind the desk. He had turned his back to them, face turned towards the terrace as though he longed to spend a few undisturbed minutes there. He was wearing suit-pants yet his jacket was lying over the backrest of his chair. His torso was covered by a white button-down, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and revealing tanned skin. The man had short black hair which was glowing in the warm afternoon sun and Thomas could detect slight curls that made him want to card his fingers through it. 

The thought would have puzzled him if he hadn’t been so occupied with the Alpha’s aura. It was so strong and dominant, much more than Manuel’s that it threatened to choke Thomas, his body going rigid as he fought against the desire to bend his head and submit. Thomas had always been dominant and the urge to suddenly do the exact opposite of what was his nature, horrified him. Beside him Joshua let a long whine before he dropped down to his knees, eyes downcast and waiting for the Alpha’s reaction. It was not a sign of weakness, he was a submissive shifter after all but Thomas still felt the urge to protect his friend from the more dangerous predator at the other side of the desk. Manuel had a better grip on himself but even he was affected, his body trembling slightly as he fought to appear more dominant.

The Alpha had not moved, his back still turned towards them as though he wanted to give his guests a moment to collect himself. Manuel had taken a step closer to his lover to pull Joshua towards him in a comforting manner, but he seemed to realize in time that it was a too intimate gesture with someone else present because he froze instantly.

All three flinched at the Alpha’s calmly spoken words. “You are welcome to comfort your mate, Manuel. Your touch would indeed help him greatly.”

Manuel gaped in shock and Thomas felt the same, his mind racing. First of all, how had this man been able to notice that Manuel had taken a step towards Joshua when he had still been facing the window? Was he able to see their reflection in the window? And secondly, how had he been able to tell what even most of their packmates didn’t know yet – that Manuel and Joshua were a couple?

“We aren’t mates,” Manuel corrected him with a tremor of fear in his voice. “Not yet.”

“I can see why,” the Alpha responded calmly before he finally turned towards them. Thomas was strangely disappointed by the pair of black sunglasses hiding the other shifter’s eyes from his. “I’m sorry for my wrong assumption then. I just thought you had already bonded considering how strongly you smell of each other.”

Thomas frowned. The Alpha was not wrong, of course Manuel and Joshua’s scents had intermingled considering they were spending a lot of time with each other, doing… things. Couple things. But Thomas could only smell it because he knew the truth. The rest of the pack had not connected the dots yet, thinking that their Alpha and their healer were simply spending a lot of time with each other. So how had this stranger been able to tell right away? For God’s sake, he had not even looked at them yet!

As though sensing Thomas’s thoughts, the Alpha rounded the table until he stood right in front of them and with a sigh, he reached up to take off his glasses. His eyes were closed though, making him look deep in thought. “Since we are going to be blood brothers very soon, I assume there is no harm in showing you the truth. Have you never asked yourself why I leave most business involving other packs to my Beta?”

Thomas blinked in confusion, wondering how this was important right now. He could feel similar confusion rolling off Manuel and Joshua and without opening his eyes the Alpha in front of them leaned forward to place one hand onto Joshua’s shoulder lightly. “Rise, Joshua. I don’t like my pack kneeling before me.”

Joshua hurried to obey, getting back onto his feet hurriedly as he dared to raise his gaze again. As though sensing the younger one finally looking at him as well, the Alpha finally opened his eyes.

Thomas felt a sharp tug at the beautiful, cerulean eyes, unable _not_ to notice how they enhanced the man’s already breathtaking beauty even more. His wolf seemed to have a similar thought because the next moment a possessive growl had made its way past Thomas’s lips, turning the attention of all people present. Except for Alpha’s as it seemed because even though his head turned towards Thomas, his eyes didn’t focus on him but looked right over his shoulder as though Thomas was not worth his attention.

The thought hurt and Thomas let out a furious sneer at the arrogance of the Alpha, but suddenly there was hand gripping his shoulder and Mats was whispering into his ear. “No, Thomas, don’t jump to conclusions. Think!”

Thomas shook off the other Beta’s hand with an irritated growl, wondering what that was supposed to mean. He turned back to the Alpha, thinking about the latter’s previous words and wondering how this had anything to do with Mats having to take on some Alpha duties, like dealing with other packs for business deals.

It took Thomas longer than it probably should to finally realize what was going on; why Mats had all these duties to fulfil, why this man had been able to sense Manuel approaching Joshua and them being lovers without looking at them, why he was not focusing on Thomas. Because he was not able to focus on him.

Finally Thomas realized, that the Sky Hunter pack’s Alpha Robert Lewandowski was _blind_.

 


End file.
